Labour voters are turning to REFORM UK
June 13, 2024
Voters are making their own window posters
June 16, 2024Labour voters are turning to REFORM UK
June 13, 2024Voters are making their own window posters
June 16, 2024Lee Taylor supports the WASPI Women and their demand for fair compensation
The 1995 Conservative Government’s State Pension Act increased women’s state pension age from 60 to 65 so that it was the same as men’s.
WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) agrees, in principle, with this equalisation.
However, the sudden changes were unfair, and both short-term and long-term harmful implications to women born in the 1950s.
Because of the way the increases were brought in, women born in the 1950s (on or after 6th April 1950-5th April 1960) have been hit particularly hard (3.8 million women in total!).
These women have been treated unfairly and unequally, just because of the day we were born. Significant changes to the age they receive their state pension were imposed upon them with a lack of appropriate notification, with little or no notice and much faster than they were promised – some of them have been hit by more than one increase.
Hundreds of thousands of these women are now suffering financial hardship, with not enough time allowed to re-plan for their retirement.
With no other source of income (until the 1990s many women weren’t allowed to join company pension schemes, many of these women are carers or in poor health), many are in financial distress. Securing work is proving impossible and zero contract hours or Job Seekers’ Allowance is the only alternative for many.
Lee Taylor, Reform UK candidate for Northallerton and Richmond (Rishi Sunak's consistency) has taken the WASPI women's plight as his own and is calling for a Public Inquiry so that failures of government policy can be properly assessed and supports fair compensation provided to those wronged.
If elected, Lee personally will take the WASPI cause straight to the heart of not only the Reform UK policy committee, but to Westminster itself, until justice is served.
So how have 1950s women been treated unfairly and unequally?
1950s women have been singled out for unfair and unequal treatment because of the way the increases to the state pension age have been brought in.
WASPI has undertaken extensive research including FOI requests and have discovered that:
Recommendations to give fair notice were ignored
• The Turner Commission recommended 15 years notice, and Saga recommended 10 years. Yet many women report receiving little or no notice.
We weren’t appropriately or personally notified of the first changes in 1995
Some of the women have been “hit” for a SECOND time – when in 2011 further increases to our state pension age were brought in faster than the Coalition had promised – again with little or no notice to re-plan for our retirement.
Women of a similar age have to wait disproportionately longer for their pension – a ONE year difference in birthday can make an almost THREE year difference to state pension age.
• Letters were sent out to women born on or after 6 April 1951 – 5 April 1953 14 years after the 1995 Pensions Act
• A large percentage of these women only received a letter advising them of significant increases to their State Pension Age within 1 year (i.e. when they were 59) of their expected State Pension Age of 60. Very many others received only 2, 3, 4 and 5 years notice.
• Women were given as little as one year’s notice of up to a 6 year increase to their State Pension Age, compared to men who received 6 years’ notice of a one year rise to their State Pension Age.
• Many women report receiving NO letter EVER
• Others say letters were sent to the wrong address despite notifying the DWP of the address change
For more information:
https://www.waspi.co.uk/
Do you have issues to raise?
Do you live in the Richmond and Northallerton constituency and would like to raise an issue with Lee?
If you live in Great Ayton, Northallerton, Richmond, or any of the other towns and villages in the constituency and would like to discuss a concern, or have a question for Lee. Please do get in touch. He would very much like to hear from you.